How much protein you need

The European Food Safety Authority sets the population reference intake for adults at 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight a day. ¹ It is set high enough to cover the requirement of almost all healthy adults, and it applies to protein in ordinary mixed diets. ¹ Think of it as a healthy floor, not a training target.

If you train, the picture changes. The International Society of Sports Nutrition judges a total of 1.4–2.0 g per kg a day adequate for most exercising people who want to build or maintain muscle. ³

A meta-analysis of 49 trials with 1,863 participants found that extra protein added a small but significant gain in fat-free mass during resistance training, and a benefit for strength. ⁴ Beyond a total intake of about 1.6 g per kg a day, more protein did not add further gains in fat-free mass on average. ⁴

For adults over 65, the PROT-AGE group recommends at least 1.0–1.2 g per kg a day, and at least 1.2 g for those who exercise or are otherwise active. ² Our calculator, How much protein do you need?, turns these ranges into grams for your body weight, activity and goal.

Why it matters more as you train and age

Muscle is broken down and rebuilt all the time. Training sends the signal to build, and the protein you eat supplies the material. Without enough of it, you leave part of your training on the table.

In the same meta-analysis, extra protein made less difference with increasing age and more difference in people who already lifted. ⁴ So if you are in your 40s and training hard, your protein habits deserve the same attention as your programme.

That is why we treat protein as part of your strength plan rather than a separate diet project. The two work together.

It also helps on busy days. When training, work and family compete for time, a few protein habits you no longer have to think about keep you on track when the rest of your plan slips.

Spread it across the day

How you spread protein matters as well as how much you eat. A 2018 review concluded that to maximise muscle building, a sensible target is about 0.4 g per kg per meal across at least four meals, which reaches at least 1.6 g per kg a day. ⁵ At the top of the range, 2.2 g per kg a day, that would mean up to about 0.55 g per kg per meal. ⁵

The ISSN position stand paints a similar picture: about 0.25 g per kg, or 20–40 g, of high-quality protein per serving, ideally spread evenly every 3–4 hours. ³

For a 75 kg person, 0.4 g per kg is 30 g a meal. That is simple arithmetic, and it gives you an anchor you can use without tracking every bite.

If four meals do not fit your day, three main meals plus one protein-rich snack does the same arithmetic. Early training sessions, late dinners and travel days are where most people fall short, so plan those first.

Food first: easy ways to hit your target

You can reach these targets with ordinary food. Build each meal around one clear protein source, then add vegetables, carbohydrates and fats around it. Plan the protein first when you shop and cook, and the rest of the plate tends to follow.

A few patterns make it automatic:

• Breakfast: Greek yogurt or skyr with nuts and fruit, eggs on wholegrain toast, or oats cooked in milk or soy milk.
• Lunch: a bowl with chicken, fish, tofu or beans as the anchor, not the garnish.
• Dinner: a generous portion of fish, meat, tempeh or lentils, about the size of your palm or more.
• Snacks: cottage cheese, a glass of milk, edamame, or a protein shake on busy days.
• Plant-based: combine soy foods, beans, lentils, grains and nuts across the day, and lean on soy milk and tofu for easy servings.

Shakes and creatine

Protein powder is a convenient food, not a requirement. The meta-analysis studied supplements, but its threshold of about 1.6 g per kg refers to total daily protein from all sources. ⁴

Creatine is one of the most popular supplements in training. The ISSN position stand reports that supplementation consistently raises creatine levels in muscle, which may help explain improvements in high-intensity exercise performance and greater training adaptations. ⁶ It describes short- and long-term use, up to 30 g a day for five years in studies, as safe and well tolerated in healthy people. ⁶

If you consider creatine, choose a simple creatine monohydrate product, and talk to your doctor first if you have kidney disease or take regular medication.

Neither shakes nor creatine replace the basics. Hit your daily protein range most days, train with progressive overload and sleep enough, and supplements become the small extra they are meant to be.

When you are cutting

Eating less to lose fat raises the stakes for protein. The ISSN notes that resistance-trained people may need about 2.3–3.1 g per kg a day during calorie-restricted phases to keep as much lean mass as possible. ³

Our calculator adds a margin to the top of your range when your goal is to lose fat while keeping muscle. Keep lifting during a cut: training is the signal that tells your body which tissue to keep.

In practice, make the protein anchor of each meal a little bigger rather than adding extra meals, and let carbohydrates and fats flex around it. That is easier to keep up for the weeks a cut usually takes.

Safety

If you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor before you raise your protein intake. The PROT-AGE group notes that people with severe kidney disease who are not on dialysis may need to limit protein. ²

Pregnancy and breastfeeding change your needs: EFSA adds extra protein for both. ¹ Discuss your targets with your midwife or doctor.

Supplements do not replace a varied diet. If you use them, choose products tested by an independent third party.

Questions people ask